Energy-saving urinal with user-position guider

ABSTRACT

A urinal with a user-position guider capable of guiding and adjusting a user&#39;s standing position to prevent urine from being directed away from the urinal is disclosed. The urinal includes a position-detecting device installed on the floor in front of the urinal and serving to detect a position where a user stands, and a position-adjusting guiding device to inform a user of the user&#39;s position detected by the position-detecting device.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to a urinal, and more particularly, to a urinal with a user-position guider capable of accurately guiding and adjusting a user's standing position to prevent urine from being directed away from the urinal.

2. Description of the Related Art

Public lavatories or restrooms of business buildings, more particularly, men's restrooms are installed with urinals separately from toilets.

A urinal allows a person to urinate while standing. As shown in FIG. 3, conventionally, a urinal has an open front side and a bottom drain outlet to discharge urine and wash water. A wash sensor 200 is installed immediately above the urinal and serves to detect a person and operate a wash water supplier 300 so as to wash the interior of the urinal.

Of course, in lieu of the wash sensor 200, configurations for manually supplying wash water may be contemplated.

In use of the urinal having the above-described configuration, a user must stand at an appropriate position in front of the urinal, i.e. at a position suitable to assure that the user's urine is directed into the urinal. However, if the user urinates at a distant position or inappropriate position, the user's urine may not be directed into the urinal, contaminating the area surrounding the urinal.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Therefore, the present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and it is an object of the present invention to provide a urinal with a user-position guider capable of adjusting a user's standing position to prevent urine from being directed away from the urinal.

In accordance with the present invention, the above and other objects can be accomplished by the provision of a urinal with a user-position guider comprising: a position-detecting device installed on the floor in front of the urinal and serving to detect a position where a user stands; and a position-adjusting guiding device to inform a user of the user's position detected by the position-detecting device.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The above and other objects, features and other advantages of the present invention will be more clearly understood from the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating constituent elements of a urinal with a user-position guider according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view illustrating the outer appearance of the urinal with the user-position guider according to the present invention; and

FIG. 3 is a perspective view illustrating an example of a conventional urinal.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Hereinafter, a urinal with a user-position guider according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating constituent elements of a urinal with a user-position guider according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a perspective view illustrating the outer appearance of the urinal with the user-position guider according to the present invention.

As shown, the urinal with the user-position guider according to the present invention includes a position-detecting device 1 and a position-adjusting guiding device 2, which constitute a user-position guider.

Specifically, the urinal with the user-position guider according to the present invention, which is designated by reference numeral 100, includes: the position-detecting device 1 installed on the floor in front of the urinal 100 to detect a position where a user stands; and the position-adjusting guiding device 2 to inform the user of the position detected by the position-detecting device 1.

As shown in FIG. 2, the position-detecting device 1, serving as a means to detect a position where the user stands to use the urinal, is installed on the floor in front of the urinal 100 and is adapted to detect a press force applied by the user's feet to thereby detect the user's position.

In the present invention, the position-detecting device 1 includes one or more load cells detecting the weight of the user's feet.

Such load cells constructing the position-detecting device 1 may be selected from ones used in electronic scales, etc., and thus, a detailed description thereof will be omitted herein.

The position-detecting device 1, as shown in FIG. 2, may include a plurality of sensors 11 a, 11 b, 12 a and 12 b. Specifically, the position-detecting device 1 may include left and right sensors 11 and 12 adapted to detect a press force applied by the user's left and right feet, and in turn, the left and right sensors 11 and 12 include front sensors 11 a and 12 a adapted to detect a press force applied by the fore parts of the feet, and rear sensors 11 b and 12 b adapted to detect a press force applied by the heel parts of the feet.

Using the plurality of sensors can achieve more accurate detection of the user's position. For example, when all the four sensors are pressed, the user's position can be accurately detected. If any one of the four sensors 11 a, 11 b, 12 a and 12 b is not pressed, it means that the user is at a position deviated rearward, leftward or rightward. In this case, the position-adjusting guiding device 2 informs the user that the user deviates from an appropriate use position.

The position-adjusting guiding device 2 serves as a means to inform the user of his position as described above.

The position-adjusting guiding device 2, as shown, may be integrally mounted to the wash sensor 200 which detects a user and operates the wash water supplier 300, or may be provided separately. The position-adjusting guiding device 2 may include at least one of a display monitor and sound generating speaker.

Hereinafter, operation of the urinal with the user-position guider having the above-described configuration will be described.

When the user stands in front of the urinal 100 and presses all the sensors 11 a, 11 b, 12 a and 12 b constituting the position-detecting device 1, the position-adjusting guiding device 2 informs the user that the user stands at an appropriate position.

In this case, to inform the user that the user stands at an appropriate position, the position-adjusting guiding device 2 may generate voice sound via a speaker, or may use characters displayed on a monitor.

When the user does not stand at an appropriate position, such as for example when the left front sensor 11 a of the four sensors is not pressed, the position-adjusting guiding device 2 informs the user that the user must move the left foot forward slightly. Then, if the user moves the left foot forward and all the four sensors are pressed, the position-adjusting guiding device 2 informs the user that the user stands at an appropriate position.

As apparent from the above description, the present invention provides a urinal with a user-position guider, which includes a position-detecting device to detect a user's position and a position-adjusting guiding device to inform a user of the detected position so as to allow the user to correct his position when the user stands at an incorrect position. As a result of correcting the user's position to allow the user to urinate at an appropriate position, the present invention has the effect of preventing the user's urine from being directed away from the urinal and dirtying the surrounding area.

Although the preferred embodiments of the present invention have been disclosed for illustrative purposes, those skilled in the art will appreciate that various modifications, additions and substitutions are possible, without departing from the scope and spirit of the invention as disclosed in the accompanying claims. 

1. A urinal with a user-position guider comprising: a position-detecting device installed on the floor in front of the urinal and serving to detect a position where a user stands; and a position-adjusting guiding device to inform a user of the user's position detected by the position-detecting device.
 2. The urinal according to claim 1, wherein the position-adjusting guiding device is integrally mounted to a wash sensor used to detect the user and operate a wash water supplier.
 3. The urinal according to claim 1, wherein the position-detecting device is a load cell detecting the weight of the user's feet.
 4. The urinal according to claim 2, wherein the position-detecting device is a load cell detecting the weight of the user's feet.
 5. The urinal according to claim 3, wherein: the position-detecting device includes left and right sensors adapted to detect a press force applied by the user's left and right feet; and the left and right sensors include front sensors adapted to detect a press force applied by the fore parts of the feet, and rear sensors adapted to detect a press force applied by the heel parts of the feet.
 6. The urinal according to claim 4, wherein: the position-detecting device includes left and right sensors adapted to detect a press force applied by the user's left and right feet; and the left and right sensors include front sensors adapted to detect a press force applied by the fore parts of the feet, and rear sensors adapted to detect a press force applied by the heel parts of the feet.
 7. The urinal according to claim 5, wherein the position-adjusting guiding device includes at least one of a display monitor and a sound generating speaker.
 8. The urinal according to claim 6, wherein the position-adjusting guiding device includes at least one of a display monitor and a sound generating speaker. 